Veteran Dallas Stars center Joe Pavelski informed reporters on Tuesday that the 2023-'24 season was his last in the NHL.
Pavelski did not officially announce his retirement, but he told the media that "this is it for me" and revealed that he doesn't intend to play next year, according to Taylor Baird of NHL.com. The 18-year veteran added that he's "known for a long time" that this campaign would be his final go around.
The Stars' season came to an end last Sunday night after they were defeated in Game 6 of the Western Conference final against the Edmonton Oilers. That 2–1 defeat will go down as the final game of Pavelski's distinguished career.
Pavelski made one All-Star team throughout his NHL career. He spent his first 13 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, who drafted him in the seventh round of the draft back in 2003, before joining the Stars in 2019.
Across 1,332 career games, Pavelski has 1,068 points including 476 goals, many of which came as a result of his masterful tip-in skills in front of the net. He made two appearances in the Stanley Cup Final, in 2016 with the Sharks and in 2020 with the Stars, but was never able to win a championship.
This past season in Dallas, at age 39, Pavelski featured in all 82 regular season games as well as 19 more in the playoffs. He registered 67 points on the campaign and scored 28 times in what was his fourth consecutive season with at least 25 goals.
Despite showing he can still produce at a high level, Pavelski decided to call it a career on Tuesday.
KARL RASMUSSEN
